Teresa Pearce MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, commenting on today’s ONS statistics on private rents, said:

“These statistics will make familiar and depressing reading for private renters. Rents are at an all-time high and the pace of increase is accelerating, even though inflation in the wider economy remains at a near-record low.

“For private renters, the last five years under the Tories have been five years of failure, with no proper action on soaring rents and poor conditions. They didn’t even mention private renters in their manifesto at the last election.  The Tories must act now to address the problems in the private rented sector.”